On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden (pictured) delivered a harsh counter to Mitt Romney’s speech Wednesday (July 11), where the GOP presidential hopeful was met with boos during the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) convention in Houston. In stark contrast to Romney, Biden was welcomed and cheered, drawing laughs from the crowd with his straightforward, plain-speaking style.

Biden made sure to connect with the crowd early, although he was certainly trekking through friendly waters at the convention. Painting President Barack Obama as a friend to the African-American community, Biden discussed recent events, such as the ongoing health care debate, proposed tax increases, and other campaign talking points that encompassed war and jobs.

Watch a segment of Biden’s speech at the NAACP Convention here:

The Vice President also drew a clear line between Democrats and Republicans, mentioning Romney by name often and illustrating him as out of touch with Black America. Not mincing words, Biden would mention that the White House’s policies are far friendlier to Black Americans and their struggles than what is currently being offered by Romney’s side.

Biden was impassioned at points, with his voice rising to a near yell to cheers from the audience. “This is a fight for the heart and soul of America. We see America where “what you do unto the least of my brethren, you do unto me,” said Biden with a serious tone. “This ain’t your father’s Republican party. I remember working with them as a Senator. They see a different future now,” said Biden at another point in his speech.

Many social media platforms remarked that Biden’s speech employed the histrionics present in the Black church, with the Vice President smacking the podium for emphasis at key points. As he announced the close of his freewheeling speech, the crowd rang out with a chorus of “No!” as he delivered one of his speech’s more poignant moments, “Election will come down to Character, Conviction, and Vision. I don’t even think it’s a close call,” said Biden as he excited the stage to uproarious applause.

The question now remains: with Eric Holderboldly injecting race and racial profiling in to the conversation and Joe Biden speaking in a direct fashion about issues that affect African Americans, is the Obama administration in prime striking position to turn the tightly contested race in their favor with Black America?

It would appear that with Romney’s ill-advised speech — where his Obamacare repeal wasn’t his lone snafu during his appearance at the convention — Romney’s relationship with African Americans isn’t going to improve and that could be a costly mistake.